To finish off the TREX 500 line of upgrades from KDE Direct, I'm pleased to announce the release of the TREX Aluminum Metal Bearing Block Upgrade and the fully loaded TREX 500 SERIES X-KIT. Check it all out at http://www.kdedirect.com/500SeriesProducts.html and the product comes with all the necessary hardware to get a fully thrust-bearing supported, high-performance bearing setup for the 500. All of the bearings have been custom manufactured to precision tolerances, with ample clearance on all sides for the thrust bearing to work most efficiently and provide you with more power, less drag on the rotorhead, and improved autorotation capability; as well as preventing the rapid deterioration of the stock radial bearings due to high axial-loads common in today's hardcore 3D flying styles.

I hope you all enjoy this new upgrade and the aesthetics have been designed to improve upon the already great looks and sweeps of the rest of the KDE Direct line-up.

I do not have detailed information on the weight of the Align Metal Main Shaft Bearing Blocks, but they are definitely heavy (no pocketing to remove material) and the new KDE Direct designs are extremely light and strong. I used Finite-Element Analysis to provide the height strength:weight ratio, so I'm confident they are very competitive on the market.

The best option is to grease the bearings before installing them in the bearing block, either by hand or using "The Greaser", which is sold through various online vendors. The radial bearings shipped with the unit are greased at the factory, so the only items you'll need to grease are the thrust bearings and the silicon grease provided by Align works just fine for this. I prefer to use a synthetic bearing grease I purchased from an automotive store that is very sticky and won't fling out from the bearing races during use, but most greases will work just fine.

I do not have detailed information on the weight of the Align Metal Main Shaft Bearing Blocks, but they are definitely heavy (no pocketing to remove material) and the new KDE Direct designs are extremely light and strong. I used Finite-Element Analysis to provide the height strength:weight ratio, so I'm confident they are very competitive on the market.

Way to dodge the question there...

Grab a gram scale and the new parts and throw them on there. Give us some numbers.

__________________
She felt like someone of an ambiguous age that even neilg would approve of...

That's funny, I'm not trying to dodge the question, I truly don't have a gram scale at my office. I'm planning on going out to buy one this coming weekend, so I'll have more information for you soon. The reason I haven't been tracking this specifically is that I haven't witnessed any noticeable change in flight characteristics due to the slight increase in weight; even friends of mine who compete in 3D competitions cannot feel the difference. Overall, if I was to guess, Aluminum 6061-T6 is typically 2x the weight of the soft Nylon resin plastic Align is using.

I just ordered a set of blocks for my 500 kit. I have a set of blocks from Microheli, but the bearings cannot be removed for greasing (at least I cannot remove them). The thrust bearings are dry and when I asked Microheli how to remove the bearings, the reply was to send them back to Canada and they will lube them. Huh?

I am looking forward to putting a set of Patrick's bearing blocks in my heli. Until they arrive, my build is on hold

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